Chapter Four:
A bright beam of light woke Kayla from her dreamless slumber. She reached
out to grab the glass of water from her bedside table, without opening her
eyes, and when her hand grabbed air she groaned and buried her face into
her pillow. She sat up and took in her surroundings. It was the same room
that she fell asleep in, not her room back in London. She saw that someone
had been there while she was still asleep, leaving a clean change of
clothes for the day and breakfast. Kayla smiled, remembering the wonderful
food of the feast the night before.
She grabbed the plate of food and ate hurriedly. She then got out of bed, washed her face in the basin provided and proceeded to dress. The dress was nowhere near as formal and spectacular as the night before, but once again Kayla felt like a princess. The dress was made of periwinkle blue velvet. It fit Kayla perfectly. She brushed her hair, thanking every god that she could think of that she wasn't having a bad hair day. *I wonder if Elves can have bad hair days?* Kayla tried picturing Lady Galadriel with bed hair and it set her off into fits of giggles.
Kayla stepped out of the hut and made her way back down the path. She wandered through the forest, idly wondering where all the Elves were. She remembered Legolas saying something about a council and she figured that they all must be there. She found a path leading away from all the other ones and she followed it, wanting to know where it led. The path opened out to a lake, surrounded by trees and flowers. She saw there was a bench of sorts a little way from the path so she went and sat. She was admiring the lake when a voice spoke out from behind her.
"Good afternoon, my lady." Kayla turned to see a man with dark hair, dressed in travelling clothes come from the path through the woods. She watched as he came and stood beside the bench, looking over the lake. "Good afternoon, my lord." Something was comfortably familiar about this man, but she could not place it. He was not an Elf so she couldn't have met him the previous night. "I see you have escaped to find some solitude." "Well, I was just walking and I found this place. It's so beautiful. I have never seen anything like it before. But this whole place, Lothlorien, is all so different." "What is it like where you live?" The man's curiosity was warranted. He must have heard the stories of her being found and sought her out to meet her. "Well there are a lot more buildings, and no forests. There are people everywhere. It's very busy." "It sounds very busy." "Yes, but it's home. I just wish I knew how to get back there." Kayla was surprisingly hit with a pang of homesickness. It wasn't the luxurious life the Elves lived, but she missed it. Her parents, her job, her life. The man noticed the sadness wash over her face and he offered his arm to her. "Come, it's time for dinner." "Already? I have been sitting here all day?" "I find that time gets away from me here also. Come, lady." Kayla stood and they started off down the path together.
They walked to the same area the feast was held the night before. Again, the Elves stared at Kayla as she walked into the clearing. Kayla looked to see Galadriel smiling at her and she claimed her arm back from the man and moved to her side. "It is nice to see you making new acquaintances. Tell me what did you and Aragorn speak of?" "That is Aragorn? Wow. I had no idea. We just spoke about my home, what it's like. Stuff like that." "Do you miss your home?" "Yeah, kind of. I mean here is really nice and all, but I have my family and a few friends at home. I just want to know that I'll see them again."
Just then Legolas walked into the clearing. He looked over to where Galadriel and Kayla were standing. He stopped dead in his tracks. She looked exactly like Melian and in that moment, Kayla laughed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. Legolas' heart constricted. Her laugh was identical to Melian's, and when she laughed she did the same flick of her hair. He turned to leave the glade, when a hand clapped on his shoulder. "Where do you go, mellonamin?" Legolas turned to see Aragorn's concerned face staring back at him. "I-I am not hungry." His eyes flicked back to Kayla, and then he strode away leaving Aragorn looking puzzled.
Galadriel clapped, signalling the start of the feast. Everybody took a seat and Kayla found herself sitting next to Aragorn. The feast was every bit as good as the one the previous night, and Kayla and Aragorn became fast friends, sharing happy conversation. She found that he was a deep thinker, and wise beyond his years. *Must be from spending all those years with the Elves.* When the conversation turned to Gondor, his home and kingdom , Aragorn was surprised to find that Kayla knew of his marriage to Arwen. He put it down to the fact that she must have found out from Galadriel. But this revelation put him a bit on edge.
The night came to an unwanted end and Aragorn escorted Kayla to her sleeping quarters. "I hope to speak with you more in the morning, Lady," he said to her. "It has been an enjoyable evening. Thank you for your company." "The pleasure was mine." Aragorn left Kayla and went in search of Legolas. His behaviour was unlike that for the Elf and Aragorn wanted to see if he could help his friend through whatever troubled him.
He found Legolas sitting beside the lake that Kayla was earlier that morning. He walked up and sat next to him on the bench. The Elf didn't look over at him. Aragorn sat quietly, knowing that Legolas would speak when he was ready to. "You know, I have not sat here since I was five hundred or so." Aragorn looked at him sideways. The Elf seemed to be distressed over the memories. "I was here to give the Lady a message for my father. It was late one night, and I could not sleep, so I went out to see the woods. I came across this path as an accident. The lake looked so beautiful that night. I moved to the bench but there was already someone there. She was so beautiful. I saw her several times while I was here, and Melian decided to come back with me to Mirkwood. We were betrothed and the day before we were due to be married, we were riding to Lorien, to see Galadriel, as she had called on us to impart her blessings for the future. A raiding party of Orcs caught us. We fended them off as best we could but they killed her. I loved he so much, and she died. I barely escaped, but the Orc party vanished before I could get revenge. Over the years I learned to accept her death, and the pain faded. But I walked to dinner tonight and I saw her again, talking to Galadriel. She had that same laugh, and the same gestures. It just opened the wounds I thought had healed."
Aragorn could do nothing but look at his friend. He had never heard this story, or seen this side of Legolas. He had never spoken of Melian to Aragorn before, and he was unsure how to handle it. But Legolas was so distressed. "So when you walked into the glade, you thought Kayla was Melian. Does she look like her?" "She doesn't just look like her. I am convinced she is Melian. They have the same face, the same voice, the same laugh. Maybe Melian's spirit was reborn in Kayla. I didn't see it at first. I found her in the woods, looking lost and scared. Then I thought she was an enemy spy. She looked nothing like Melian did. She was dirty, confused, and scared. But when I saw her that first night at dinner, I thought I was back in the past, and I was seeing Melian for the first time."
"It must have been a shock for you," Aragorn prodded gently. If there was one thing he had learnt from living among the Elves was that they only spoke when they had something to say. It was pointless to force out answers. "It was more than a shock. I thought I was dreaming of Melian. But it was Kayla. And it hurt. How could she just appear, lost in the woods?" Legolas let out a troubled sigh. "Does any one else know of this story?" "Yes, the Lady Galadriel knows of the story in full. I went to see her last night, to see if it was possible for Kayla to be Melian." "What did she tell you?" "She said that it may be possible for Kayla and Melian to share a spirit. She said that Kayla might have been sent here so Melian has a chance to say goodbye." "How do you feel about that?" "I do not know. I want to see Melian again, but I want it to be Melian, not just someone who looks like her. She makes me feel awkward."
The two men sat in silence by the lake till the first rays of light hit the water. Back in her hut, Kayla watched the sun rise over the tops of the trees. She had been awake all night trying to figure out why Legolas was not at dinner that night. *Jeez, he really went out of his way to avoid me. Why does he hate me so much? What did I ever do to him?* A knock on Kayla's door brought her from her thoughts. She opened the door to find an old man with white hair standing there. "Sorry to disturb you, but I heard of your arrival here and I wanted to ask you some questions about it," the old man apologised. "It's no problem," Kayla replied, "I was awake anyway. Please, come in." The old man entered the room and turned to look at Kayla.
"My name is Gandalf. I was wondering about your arrival here." He seemed to be selecting his words very carefully. It was unnerving for Kayla, but she just told herself it was because he was a wizard, no longer of grey but now of glorious white. "What do you want to know?" Kayla wanted this over with. She wanted to go and sit by the lake she had found. "What was the last thing you remember before you woke up here in the forest?" Kayla thought about that. What was the last thing she remembered? *Should I tell him about the dream?* she wondered. She decided that she would, after all he was Gandalf, and he might have been able to shed some light on what her dream meant. So she told him her dream and explained how intense it was. He looked at her with a knowing look and then excused himself. "I believe I am late for a meeting with the Lady Galadriel. Please excuse me." "Not a problem. I'll speak with you later, no doubt." Kayla smiled and Gandalf left. *Finally,* Kayla thought. *Now I can go to the lake.*
Kayla exited the hut and was at the lake within minutes. She gave a sigh of relief and sat down on the bench. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her old life in London. All she could picture was the bad parts. How her parents treated her, her long work hours, the journey to and from home, and her almost complete lack of friends. Her mind filled then with the good aspects of being in Middle Earth. She remembered the beautiful scenery, the Elves, her friendship with Aragorn and Galadriel, meeting Gandalf.
An Elf appeared out of the woods and approached Kayla. "Excuse me, my lady. I am sorry for disturbing your solitude but the Lady Galadriel and Mithrandir wish to speak with you." "Sure. Where are they?" "I will take you to them." The Elf led her away from the lake and into a part of the woods that Kayla had not yet explored. She tried to take in all the beauty from around her but there was too much. They reached a staircase winding around another tree, and Kayla looked up to see a wooden platform. "They are waiting for you up there."
She grabbed the plate of food and ate hurriedly. She then got out of bed, washed her face in the basin provided and proceeded to dress. The dress was nowhere near as formal and spectacular as the night before, but once again Kayla felt like a princess. The dress was made of periwinkle blue velvet. It fit Kayla perfectly. She brushed her hair, thanking every god that she could think of that she wasn't having a bad hair day. *I wonder if Elves can have bad hair days?* Kayla tried picturing Lady Galadriel with bed hair and it set her off into fits of giggles.
Kayla stepped out of the hut and made her way back down the path. She wandered through the forest, idly wondering where all the Elves were. She remembered Legolas saying something about a council and she figured that they all must be there. She found a path leading away from all the other ones and she followed it, wanting to know where it led. The path opened out to a lake, surrounded by trees and flowers. She saw there was a bench of sorts a little way from the path so she went and sat. She was admiring the lake when a voice spoke out from behind her.
"Good afternoon, my lady." Kayla turned to see a man with dark hair, dressed in travelling clothes come from the path through the woods. She watched as he came and stood beside the bench, looking over the lake. "Good afternoon, my lord." Something was comfortably familiar about this man, but she could not place it. He was not an Elf so she couldn't have met him the previous night. "I see you have escaped to find some solitude." "Well, I was just walking and I found this place. It's so beautiful. I have never seen anything like it before. But this whole place, Lothlorien, is all so different." "What is it like where you live?" The man's curiosity was warranted. He must have heard the stories of her being found and sought her out to meet her. "Well there are a lot more buildings, and no forests. There are people everywhere. It's very busy." "It sounds very busy." "Yes, but it's home. I just wish I knew how to get back there." Kayla was surprisingly hit with a pang of homesickness. It wasn't the luxurious life the Elves lived, but she missed it. Her parents, her job, her life. The man noticed the sadness wash over her face and he offered his arm to her. "Come, it's time for dinner." "Already? I have been sitting here all day?" "I find that time gets away from me here also. Come, lady." Kayla stood and they started off down the path together.
They walked to the same area the feast was held the night before. Again, the Elves stared at Kayla as she walked into the clearing. Kayla looked to see Galadriel smiling at her and she claimed her arm back from the man and moved to her side. "It is nice to see you making new acquaintances. Tell me what did you and Aragorn speak of?" "That is Aragorn? Wow. I had no idea. We just spoke about my home, what it's like. Stuff like that." "Do you miss your home?" "Yeah, kind of. I mean here is really nice and all, but I have my family and a few friends at home. I just want to know that I'll see them again."
Just then Legolas walked into the clearing. He looked over to where Galadriel and Kayla were standing. He stopped dead in his tracks. She looked exactly like Melian and in that moment, Kayla laughed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. Legolas' heart constricted. Her laugh was identical to Melian's, and when she laughed she did the same flick of her hair. He turned to leave the glade, when a hand clapped on his shoulder. "Where do you go, mellonamin?" Legolas turned to see Aragorn's concerned face staring back at him. "I-I am not hungry." His eyes flicked back to Kayla, and then he strode away leaving Aragorn looking puzzled.
Galadriel clapped, signalling the start of the feast. Everybody took a seat and Kayla found herself sitting next to Aragorn. The feast was every bit as good as the one the previous night, and Kayla and Aragorn became fast friends, sharing happy conversation. She found that he was a deep thinker, and wise beyond his years. *Must be from spending all those years with the Elves.* When the conversation turned to Gondor, his home and kingdom , Aragorn was surprised to find that Kayla knew of his marriage to Arwen. He put it down to the fact that she must have found out from Galadriel. But this revelation put him a bit on edge.
The night came to an unwanted end and Aragorn escorted Kayla to her sleeping quarters. "I hope to speak with you more in the morning, Lady," he said to her. "It has been an enjoyable evening. Thank you for your company." "The pleasure was mine." Aragorn left Kayla and went in search of Legolas. His behaviour was unlike that for the Elf and Aragorn wanted to see if he could help his friend through whatever troubled him.
He found Legolas sitting beside the lake that Kayla was earlier that morning. He walked up and sat next to him on the bench. The Elf didn't look over at him. Aragorn sat quietly, knowing that Legolas would speak when he was ready to. "You know, I have not sat here since I was five hundred or so." Aragorn looked at him sideways. The Elf seemed to be distressed over the memories. "I was here to give the Lady a message for my father. It was late one night, and I could not sleep, so I went out to see the woods. I came across this path as an accident. The lake looked so beautiful that night. I moved to the bench but there was already someone there. She was so beautiful. I saw her several times while I was here, and Melian decided to come back with me to Mirkwood. We were betrothed and the day before we were due to be married, we were riding to Lorien, to see Galadriel, as she had called on us to impart her blessings for the future. A raiding party of Orcs caught us. We fended them off as best we could but they killed her. I loved he so much, and she died. I barely escaped, but the Orc party vanished before I could get revenge. Over the years I learned to accept her death, and the pain faded. But I walked to dinner tonight and I saw her again, talking to Galadriel. She had that same laugh, and the same gestures. It just opened the wounds I thought had healed."
Aragorn could do nothing but look at his friend. He had never heard this story, or seen this side of Legolas. He had never spoken of Melian to Aragorn before, and he was unsure how to handle it. But Legolas was so distressed. "So when you walked into the glade, you thought Kayla was Melian. Does she look like her?" "She doesn't just look like her. I am convinced she is Melian. They have the same face, the same voice, the same laugh. Maybe Melian's spirit was reborn in Kayla. I didn't see it at first. I found her in the woods, looking lost and scared. Then I thought she was an enemy spy. She looked nothing like Melian did. She was dirty, confused, and scared. But when I saw her that first night at dinner, I thought I was back in the past, and I was seeing Melian for the first time."
"It must have been a shock for you," Aragorn prodded gently. If there was one thing he had learnt from living among the Elves was that they only spoke when they had something to say. It was pointless to force out answers. "It was more than a shock. I thought I was dreaming of Melian. But it was Kayla. And it hurt. How could she just appear, lost in the woods?" Legolas let out a troubled sigh. "Does any one else know of this story?" "Yes, the Lady Galadriel knows of the story in full. I went to see her last night, to see if it was possible for Kayla to be Melian." "What did she tell you?" "She said that it may be possible for Kayla and Melian to share a spirit. She said that Kayla might have been sent here so Melian has a chance to say goodbye." "How do you feel about that?" "I do not know. I want to see Melian again, but I want it to be Melian, not just someone who looks like her. She makes me feel awkward."
The two men sat in silence by the lake till the first rays of light hit the water. Back in her hut, Kayla watched the sun rise over the tops of the trees. She had been awake all night trying to figure out why Legolas was not at dinner that night. *Jeez, he really went out of his way to avoid me. Why does he hate me so much? What did I ever do to him?* A knock on Kayla's door brought her from her thoughts. She opened the door to find an old man with white hair standing there. "Sorry to disturb you, but I heard of your arrival here and I wanted to ask you some questions about it," the old man apologised. "It's no problem," Kayla replied, "I was awake anyway. Please, come in." The old man entered the room and turned to look at Kayla.
"My name is Gandalf. I was wondering about your arrival here." He seemed to be selecting his words very carefully. It was unnerving for Kayla, but she just told herself it was because he was a wizard, no longer of grey but now of glorious white. "What do you want to know?" Kayla wanted this over with. She wanted to go and sit by the lake she had found. "What was the last thing you remember before you woke up here in the forest?" Kayla thought about that. What was the last thing she remembered? *Should I tell him about the dream?* she wondered. She decided that she would, after all he was Gandalf, and he might have been able to shed some light on what her dream meant. So she told him her dream and explained how intense it was. He looked at her with a knowing look and then excused himself. "I believe I am late for a meeting with the Lady Galadriel. Please excuse me." "Not a problem. I'll speak with you later, no doubt." Kayla smiled and Gandalf left. *Finally,* Kayla thought. *Now I can go to the lake.*
Kayla exited the hut and was at the lake within minutes. She gave a sigh of relief and sat down on the bench. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her old life in London. All she could picture was the bad parts. How her parents treated her, her long work hours, the journey to and from home, and her almost complete lack of friends. Her mind filled then with the good aspects of being in Middle Earth. She remembered the beautiful scenery, the Elves, her friendship with Aragorn and Galadriel, meeting Gandalf.
An Elf appeared out of the woods and approached Kayla. "Excuse me, my lady. I am sorry for disturbing your solitude but the Lady Galadriel and Mithrandir wish to speak with you." "Sure. Where are they?" "I will take you to them." The Elf led her away from the lake and into a part of the woods that Kayla had not yet explored. She tried to take in all the beauty from around her but there was too much. They reached a staircase winding around another tree, and Kayla looked up to see a wooden platform. "They are waiting for you up there."